As CPRA advances the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion and other priority projects toward construction, Restore the Mississippi River Delta staff experts will aim to give you updates on key steps of the process. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion aims to be “the first controlled sediment diversion reconnecting the Mississippi river with its delta,” Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) indicated in a recent press release, and, recently, there have been some important developments toward that end. In March, CPRA announced that …

Over the last several months, we’ve been hard at work tidying and sprucing up our website to provide you with a more visual, engaging and clear resource to learn about the importance of the Mississippi River Delta and the work our organizations are doing to help restore it. In tackling the redesign, our goal was to showcase the current land loss crisis facing our state, the solutions available to address it and provide you with options for how you can …

Majority say coastal wetlands are important to them personally, support the state’s Coastal Master Plan (NEW ORLEANS – Jan. 11, 2017) Statewide, 93 percent of Louisiana voters say that protecting Louisiana’s coastal wetlands needs attention with 56 percent calling this issue a “crisis,” according to a new poll released today. Additionally, an overwhelming 95 percent of Louisiana voters say Louisiana’s coastal areas and wetlands are important to them personally, with 73 percent saying they are “very important.” A substantial majority …

Conservation groups stress need to act with urgency, leverage most powerful restoration projects (NEW ORLEANS – January 3, 2017) This morning, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) released its draft 2017 Coastal Master Plan that, if approved, will serve as the blueprint for the state’s coastal restoration and protection activities over the next 50 years. CPRA is legally required to update its master plan every five years to account for the best available science. This update builds on prior …

Experts from national conservation groups working on Gulf restoration available for interviews (New Orleans, LA – December 16, 2016) Today, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (RESTORE) Council approved its updated Comprehensive Plan to restore Gulf Coast ecosystems and their natural resource dependent economies following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. The plan will serve as the guide for spending more than three billion dollars in restoration and recovery funds — an integral component of one of the largest ecosystem restoration …

Executing marsh creation sooner and leveraging bonding can save hundreds of millions of dollars (Baton Rouge, LA – December 13, 2016) Earlier today, Coast Builders Coalition in conjunction with Restore the Mississippi River Delta released a new analysis prepared by The Water Institute of the Gulf (the Institute) that outlines opportunities for the state of Louisiana to achieve substantial cost savings as it advances its 50-year, $50-billion Coastal Master Plan. The analysis, “Changing Restoration Costs,” examines the opportunities that exist …

This blog originally appeared on EDF Voices. Delta systems such as coastal Louisiana are beautiful and unique intersections of communities, ecosystems and industry. But the wide variety of interests in these areas can also lead to discord as we plan for the future of our often-vulnerable coastal regions. As complex restoration projects are implemented, how do we balance the needs of the ecosystem and communities? How do we reduce negative impacts to fisheries and industry, and make sure certain wildlife won’t …

The Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition is hiring a full-time Digital Marketing and Communications Associate based in its New Orleans, LA office. Overview: The Digital Marketing and Communications Associate will leverage online engagement strategies to raise awareness and build support for restoration of the Mississippi River Delta on behalf of National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund, and National Wildlife Federation, as well as in collaboration with regional partners Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. S/He …

TV cooking show to spotlight area wetlands' plight By Meredith Burns, Houma Courier. Feb. 2, 2016. "Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program staff will show off some of the area’s best seafood on an episode of the TV show “Flip My Food” airing this week…" (read more)

7 Louisiana coastal restoration projects gain new approvals By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. Feb. 1, 2016. "A federal-state coastal restoration task force has ordered design work to begin on five new restoration projects and a restoration demonstration. It also OK'd the start of construction on two existing projects…" (read more) Final bays on Bonnet Carre Spillway closed Monday as Mississippi River level slowly falls By Amy Wold, The Advocate. Feb. 1, 2016. "The last 24 bays at the Bonnet Carre …

How long will Lake Pontchartrain stay dirty? By Todd Masson, The Times-Picayune. Jan. 28, 2016. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to complete the task of closing the bays in the Bonnet Carre Spillway next week, but that won't immediately alter the hydrological makeup of Lake Pontchartrain…" (read more) Did spillway opening push speckled trout out of Lake Pontchartrain? By Todd Masson, The Times-Picayune. Jan. 28, 2016. "Salinity isn't terribly important to speckled trout this time of year, but …

Floodwaters start to recede By Stacy Gill, The Advocate. Jan. 27, 2016. "Several roads that were closed recently because of floodwater from the Mississippi River in West Feliciana Parish remain closed as of Jan. 25, including River Road at Tunica, Cat Island Road at Polly Creek and the low-water bridge at Solitude…" (read more) Nungesser taps former LDWF secretary to lead state parks By Greg Hilburn, The News Star. Jan. 26, 2016. "Robert Barham, who served two terms as former …

Bonnet Carre Spillway closing begins as river slowly drops By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. Jan. 25, 2016. "The Army Corps of Engineers began closing the first 10 of 210 bays in the Bonnet Carre Spillway weir at Norco on Monday (Jan. 25), as the flow of the Mississippi River continued to drop at the Carrollton gauge in New Orleans. The corps hopes to complete the closure of the structure, which diverts river water to Lake Pontchartrain to reduce the height …

Our Views: Long-term plan for coastal diversion projects By Editorial Board Staff, The New Orleans Advocate. Jan. 21, 2016. *features John Lopez (Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation) and Kimberly Davis Reyher (Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana) "When Mother Nature gives you an opportunity, you’ve got to be in position to take advantage of it. Now, with the Mississippi River hitting its crest in January, another high-water event will not be of much help to Louisiana’s endangered coastline…" (read more) HUD sends …

Guest column: River should be harnessed for restoration By Jeff Hebert and David Muth for The Advocate. Jan. 22, 2016. "The recent opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway is a dramatic reminder of our region’s precarious relationship with water and the responsibility and opportunity we have to be innovative leaders in water management…" (read more) Louisiana awarded $92 million in disaster resilience funds: $52 million to help relocate Isle de Jean Charles community By Amy Wold, The Advocate. Jan. 21, …

Coastal Louisiana needs your help now more than ever. Sign up to learn more about how you can get involved and help protect America’s wetlands for the future. We’ll be in touch when opportunities to take action arise, when there are relevant events or volunteer opportunities in your area or when we have important news to share.